Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 7:00 PM EDT Jun 23, 2019
When P.F. Chang’s opens in time for dinner Monday on the grounds of the Fox River Mall, several things will be different from its sister restaurants in the 300-plus-location chain.
Each P.F. Chang’s has custom mural walls. Here, Chinese symbols represent Wisconsin, Appleton and Fox River, and a state of Wisconsin shape is hidden in part of the mural. The bar stocks Leinenkugel, Hinterland and New Glarus Spotted Cow.
Local nods aside, the menu will be familiar to those who’ve eaten in P.F. Chang’s locations around the country or globe.
Chicken lettuce wraps and Cecilia’s pork dumplings have been on the menu since 1993 when the first restaurant opened in Scottsdale, Arizona. Beyond its Chinese dim sum and wok dishes, the menu has Japaneses sushi, pad Thai, Korean bibimbap and Tokyo Udon bowls.
“It’s an Asian-fusion menu,” said operating partner Brian Mayers.
“We call it farm to wok. We clean it, cut it up and cook it. Everything is scratch made,” he said.
Dinner entrees are served family style in the middle of the table. The most expensive entree is the sea bass at $28.
The restaurant is at 1190 N. Casaloma Drive, next to Red Lobster in a building now unrecognizable from its past lives as Bakers Square and Buca di Beppo.
The company gutted the building and rebuilt a modern interior with more windows, natural light, clear sight lines across the restaurant and an open-view kitchen. Signature details are a terracotta statue, huge sake barrels and the 11-foot horse statue in the parking lot.
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The restaurant chain is privately owned and not a franchise. It was purchased in March by two investment firms, TriArtisan Capital Advisors and Paulson & Co.
The restaurant here was able to hire close to its goal of 147 employees.
“We have staff ready to open,” said Mayers.
Info: 920-815-4700. Reservations recommended and can be made by phone or online at pfchangs.com. Rewards program and menu are also online. Dine-in and carry out. Open 11 a.m. everyday, to 10 p.m. weekdays and 11 p.m. weekends.
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Contact Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or mwallenfang@postcrescent.com. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.
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